How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2020 Acura MDX?

The verdict: Acura’s 2020 MDX people mover easily accommodates car seats — and does it in style. We tested the sport-oriented A-Spec version of the MDX and found that it handled car seats in both its second and third rows with ease. Our model had a second-row bench seat; captain’s chairs are also available.

Does it fit three car seats? No

Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2020 Acura MDX.

Related: Search Car Seat Checks

A Grade

• Latch: In the second row, the two sets of anchors sit in slits in the seat upholstery. They’re set deeply in the seat bight, but the slits in the upholstery are big, so connecting to the anchors was no problem.
• Infant seat: The seat installed easily, and our 5-foot, 6-inch-tall front passenger had ample room.
• Rear-facing convertible: As with the infant seat, the convertible was easy to install and front-passenger legroom was not an issue.
• Third-row forward-facing convertible: There are no third row Latch anchors, so we installed it using the seat belt. Two top tether anchors are clearly marked and sit halfway down the seatback. The fixed head restraint is small enough so as not to push the convertible off the seatback.

B Grade

• Forward-facing convertible: In the second row, the convertible fit well after removing the head restraint. Connecting to the lower latch anchors was easy, but the top tether anchors sit far down on the seatback and are recessed into the seatback carpet, requiring some digging.
• Booster: Again, removing the head restraint helped situate the booster flush against the seatback in the second row. The MDX’s floppy buckles could make it difficult for kids to buckle up independently.
• Third-row access: The bench seat moves out of the way easily with the press of a button. This doesn’t work with car seats installed, however, so people who need to get to the third row must climb in through the trunk, which is awkward.
• Third-row booster: The fixed head restraint doesn’t interfere with the booster’s fit against the seatback, but the third row’s floppy buckles might be difficult for kids to grasp and use independently.

C Grade

• None

About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Geiger, Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.

Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

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